Don’t sleep on these one-of-a-kind games that launched in February

digitaltrends.com:

We’re only two months into 2024, but it’s already a surprisingly front-loaded year for new games. We kicked the year off with great Like a Dragon, Tekken, and Prince of Persia games in January, but February turned the heat up even more. Persona 3 Reload andFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth gave us two excellent RPGs, whileHelldivers 2 has been a surprise hit for Sony. Even just trying to keep up with the major releases has been a daunting task.

Those aren’t the only great games that have dropped this year, though. February, in particular, was a haven for genre-bending indie projects that are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. From a poker roguelike to an open-world puzzle game, we’ve had our hands full between long RPGs. If you’re looking to build up a backlog as we move into what’s likely to be a quieter stretch of the year, these are the February releases that you should consider revisiting.

Balatro

If you’ve yet to check out Balatro, trust me:, you likely will soon. The indie has become something of a word-of-mouth sensation since its release this February, and its momentum only seems to be growing. Developed by LocalThunk, this deckbuilding roguelike simply asks players to lay down poker hands. What starts as a simple concept soon gets engrossing, as mounting passive bonuses make hands more and more valuable. A measly two pair can quickly balloon into a million-chip hand with some synergistic deck upgrades and Joker cards that entirely change the game. While its still new, Balatro already feels like a foundational genre game in the vein of Slay the Spire. Expect to hear its name a lot in the coming years.

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Pacific Drive

While Balatro is an easy crowd-pleaser, February brought a lot of niche titles that are resonating with more specific